Sermons on Spiritual Life (Page 15)

View of the Church

What Now?

Acts 8:26-40 1 John 4:7-21 John 15:1-8 “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.” I imagine that many of us have prayed for something and it hasn’t happened. So what’s that about? Does that mean that we are not really abiding in Jesus? Or does it mean that Jesus…

Kissing the Princess

Bible Readings:Romans 8:18-23  http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=485772628Mark 16:14,15  http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=485772672 It is said that when St. Francis could not find people to listen to his preaching, he preached to the birds and they listened. The 13th century book “The Little Flowers of St Francis” says that on one occasion he saw a great flock of birds who seemed to be attentive to him so he preached to them of God’s love for them and told them they must sing to show their gratitude and to praise…

Walking In The Light

This morning’s readings are so full and rich that it’s difficult to know where to start. When that happens, I find it useful to look at the collect, the prayer for the day. “God, who in the Paschal mystery established the new covenant of reconciliation, Grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ’s Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith.” That sums up the readings pretty well doesn’t it –…

Sin In Our Favor

Last week while on retreat, I read several books. One of them was Falling Upwards by Richard Rohr. In it he says among many other things that “salvation is sin turned on its head and used in our favor.” Salvation is sin turned on its head and used in our favor. That is what we are remembering today – the ultimate example of sin turned on its head and used in our favor. On the cross Jesus took the sin…

Impatient: 3/14/21

The people became impatient. I don’t know about you but I have certainly become impatient. It’s been a year. Enough already. How much longer will be in this wilderness of Zoom? How much longer before we can once again gather safely indoors to share the eucharist? I don’t know the answers to those questions. I have become impatient. The poisonous snakes have been biting for a year and we are still looking and waiting for God to deliver us. And…

“Wiser is Humbler” – Rev Mike Eggleston at St Benedict’s 

I Corinthians 1.18-25 Guidance from God can be found anywhere, because God is everywhere.  Me, I most often get insights from God either through nature or through scriptures and church tradition.  That’s good because those two, nature and torah, are the two forums of God which are praised in Psalm 19.  “The heavens are telling the glory of God, and the decrees of the Lord are sure, making wise the simple.”  But the start of this sermon comes from a…

Radical Acceptance

Mark 8:31-38 I admit it. I’m mortal. Just like all of us. And that of course is the reminder of Ash Wednesday, that we are entirely dependent on God for every breath we take. And just in case we missed it on Ash Wednesday with this year’s self-service ashes, the loss of our beloved sister Karin this week brought it home powerfully. We are mortal. We are not gods. We are humans.  And so it’s not surprising that we see…

Transfiguration – 2/14/21

Two weeks ago, I talked about Dimension 5+ and how we can no more imagine what it is like to live outside of the space/time continuum than a fish can imagine living out of water. Both mean death, death to life as we, or the fish, know it. But we get glimpses. We get glimpses of a different reality – a reality we call heaven where the reign of God is 100% realized. Today’s gospel reading shows Jesus and the…

Treated as a Person The Rev. Susan Plucker

5th Sunday After Epiphany February 7, 2021 Isaiah 40:21-31 Psalm 147: 1-12,  21c 1 Corinthians 9:16-23 Mark 1:29-39 Let us begin by hearing the voice of Mary Magdalene.   Seven demons possessed my soul Seven Marys lived inside of me One Mary was chaste, another carnal, A Mary elated, a Mary tormented, A frightened Mary, a lone one, And one that hated God.   I stood on the hill throughout the day. Watching the procession to Golgotha Seeing the crosses…